Windows, and other openings are often fitted with blinds to keep out light and/or prying eyes. These blinds may comprise a series of spaced apart louvers (or slats, vanes, etc . . . ), which, when assembled as a group, are often known as, for example, Venetian blinds, etc. The spaced apart louvers may be disposed horizontally or vertically, and may be supported on one or more rails, brackets, etc . . . to allow the longitudinal displacement and/or the rotation thereof.
Known louvers may be made of metal, vinyl, wood or other suitable material, and for aesthetic and decorative purposes, may be coloured or painted to a desired finish. Known louvers may also be covered with fabric or other types of material so as to create a composite louver, or may otherwise be decorated in any known manner.
Louvers which are covered with material or fabric are known in the art, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,613,542 to Tuzmen, U.S. Pat. No. 5,049,424 to Carden, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,049,038 to Hyman. However the use of fabric or material to construct a composite louver may create a bulky and unappealing looking louver, and the texture of the fabric may not lend itself to a smooth finish or a natural looking finish. Further, material or fabric covered composite louvers may be limited by the type and styles of the material which may be suitable to cover the louver, and also by the means of adhesion required to hold the material or fabric to the louver. In addition, due to the fact that two different materials are used to make these composite louvers, i.e the louver itself and the material or fabric covering it, and because during the construction and use of the composite louver they may be exposed to a wide range of temperatures and humidity, the louver and the material covering it may expand and contract at different rates causing warping, distortions, wrinkling and other unsightly blemishes.
In addition, known composite louvers often have rough or raised boundary edges where the base material of the louver and the fabric covering the louver meet. This may be considered unsightly, and may not meet with consumer approval. For example, known composite louvers may have lateral flanges, beads, bumps or raised surfaces where the material covering the louver may be attached to, or captured by the louver body, thus creating an unsmooth surface on the louver. Further, the use of fabric or material to cover a louver, even fabric that is thin, may create an unsightly bulge at the boundary edge or edges thereof, especially where the fabric overlaps, i.e. where the fabric wraps around the louver and overlaps any previously applied fabric. This bulge may be visible to the naked human eye, and may also be felt through human touch. This may further increase the bulky look of the composite louver, and add to the lack of appeal of such composite louvers with consumers due to their not looking natural, i.e. not looking for example, like natural wood. Also, if the material or fabric covering the louver does not fully wrap around and cover the louver, or if it imperfectly wraps around the louver, a seam may show where the boundary edges of the fabric do not perfectly meet, which may cause the base material of the louver underneath to show through, therefore causing an unsightly contrast between the base material and the fabric wrapping it.
Further, known louvers covered with fabric or material, may not be wrapped completely around with material, and may often only be covered on the top and bottom surfaces (for example, of a four sided louver), leaving the lateral, i.e side surfaces of the louver uncovered and therefore showing the base material of the louver itself. This may therefore create an unsightly contrast between the covered top and bottom surfaces and the uncovered side surfaces, thus further not meeting with consumer approval. This may be especially true with very thin lounvers i.e. 0.5 mm thick, and further such very thin louvers cannot be made to look like natural wood louvers. Further, known very thin louvers are known to be laminated with thin material, however, these very thin louvers are often metallic strips, thus making it impossible to duplicate a natural wood look and feel, and the thin material is only applied to the top and bottom surfaces, not the side surfaces.
Therefore, the "feel" and/or the "look" (i.e. the appearance) of known material covered composite louvers may not meet with consumer approval because they may look and feel artificial. This may be especially true for louvers which are made to look as though they are made of natural or laminated wood.
A further underlying problem with existing louvers is how to manufacture, on a commercial basis, louvers which, while made with artificial i.e. man-made materials, have the appearance, look and feel of a louver made with a natural material, i.e. for example, wood. In addition, the problem arises of how to change the design from one to another design to another quickly, efficiently and without incurring needless costs. A further problem with present louvers is the fact that material and fabric, while sometimes more expensive, do not give a very finished or high quality appearance.
It would therefore be advantageous to provide a four sided louver laminated with a film, wherein the film covers the first and second opposed top surfaces and the first and second opposed side surfaces, i.e. wherein the four sides of the are laminated (i.e. covered) with a film that is so thin so as to be imperceptible to human touch, i.e. tactilely invisible.
It would further be advantageous to provide a laminated louver wherein each of the longitudinal surfaces are covered i.e. laminated with a material that is so thin that the boundary edges of the material is imperceptible to the unassisted human touch, i.e. tactilely invisible, nor visible to the naked eye.
It would also be advantageous to provide a laminated louver wherein the material covering the louver is so thin that it provides a very realistic look to the finished product, i.e. wherein bulging or bulky seams are avoided.
It would further be advantageous to provide a laminated louver wherein the first and second opposed longitudinal surfaces and the first and second opposed side surfaces of the louver are covered with material so thin that the boundary edges of the material is imperceptible to the unassisted human touch.
It would further be advantageous to provide a laminated louver which allows for different patterns and colours of film to be applied to a louver.
It would be further advantageous to provide a laminated louver which may be laminated with a film in a quick and economical manner.
It would be further advantageous to provide for a bottom rail to be used in the construction of Venetian etc . . . blinds, which bottom rail may be constructed from louvers laminated with a material so thin so as to be imperceptible to human touch.
It would be further advantageous to provide an apparatus for laminating, i.e. covering a louver with a film that is so thin that it is imperceptible to human touch.